Learn Everything you Need to Know about Estate Planning and Elder Law.

An attorney friend of mine once asked me “Don’t you get bored doing nothing but estate planning? After all, don’t you just do the same thing over and over?”

My friend didn’t get it. Estate planning is not about writing brilliant documents (although each trust is unique). It’s about helping people accomplish some of their life’s goals. My professional satisfaction comes from establishing the kind of trust relationship with my clients that enables them to share both their hopes and fears for their families. Then together we create an estate plan that accomplishes their goals and puts their fears at ease.

Identify Who Receives Your Wealth. Your estate plan determines who receives your estate. While that’s important to everyone, for some it’s just as important to ensure that certain people don’t receive any of your wealth.

Identify Who is In Charge of Your Wealth. An estate plan is essential for determining who will be in charge of your wealth if you are disabled and after you pass away. In many families parents are happy with any of their adult children being in charge. But some of us may have preferences regarding which of our children is most capable of handling our affairs. For those people who don’t have children, an estate plan is even more important. They need to insure that someone they know and trust is given the responsibility for carrying out their wishes.

Identify who is in charge of your affairs. Proper estate planning is not just for things that occur after we die. An estate plan also allows us to determine what will happen if we ever become disabled. A health care power of attorney enables us to choose a patient advocate who has the authority to make medical decisions in the event we cannot make those decisions ourselves. A property power of attorney authorizes someone we choose to be able to handle our financial, legal, and other business in the event we cannot do any of these things ourselves.

Preserve your wealth by avoiding probate fees, attorney fees and estate taxes. A properly planned estate can save your family a great deal of time and money. You have, no doubt, heard stories from friends about estates being gobbled up by all sorts of paperwork and costs associated with administering the estate. These can include probate fees, attorney fees, and estate taxes. A well-written estate plan can reduce bureaucracy and even eliminate a number of expenses, preserving more of your wealth for your family.

If you haven’t done any estate planning, you are not alone. A national survey conducted in 2007 reveals that over 55% of adult Americans have done nothing to plan their estate. They don’t even have a simple will. What will happen to their wealth when they die? Well, if you don’t have a last will and testament, the state has written one for you. The property of those who died without a will is distributed according to the laws of intestate succession.

Estate Planning Is Not Just For Older People

In 28 years of practice as an estate planning attorney the overwhelming majority of my clients have been people over the age of 60. That's a shame, because estate planning is important for younger people as well -- especially families with young children.

I tell young parents to consider this: in the event of their premature death their children will, in all likelihood, be placed in the custody of a family member, usually an aunt or an uncle. But who should choose which one? You, or the probate court?

The peace of mind that comes from knowing who will take your place in raising your children should be motivation enough to do a complete estate plan.

Even more surprising is the fact that only 41% of adult Americans have any kind of power of attorney. They are leaving things completely to chance with regard to who will make decisions for them in the event of disability and what those decisions might be.

Why doesn't everyone do estate planning? For a lot of people, it’s plain old procrastination. They realize that they have to do estate planning but just can’t seem to get around to it. For others, it’s a lack of knowledge.They don’t know where to begin.

Whether or not you match either of these descriptions, this web site is designed for you. By coming here, you have taken the first step toward creating a plan for yourself and your loved ones. I hope to provide you with detailed information about all aspects of estate planning, and I will do so in plain English.

While I hope this web site provides you with a lot of information and answers to many of your questions, nothing here is intended to be specific legal advice. Even if you choose to use information on this site you do not become a client of mine. You should always seek the advice of a licensed attorney in your state who specializes in the issues you're concerned about.

I enjoy hearing from my readers. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me by visiting the "contact me" section of the web site.